The Mabinogion Vol. 1, Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber [best thriller books to read TXT] 📗

a tall tree by the side of the river, one half of which was in flames from the root to the top, and the other half was green and in full leaf.  And nigh thereto he saw a youth sitting upon a mound, and two greyhounds, white-breasted, and spotted, in leashes, p. 87lying by his side.  And certain was he, that he had never seen a youth of so royal a bearing as he.  And in the wood opposite he heard hounds raising a herd of deer.  And Peredur saluted the youth, and the youth greeted him in return.  And there were three roads leading from the mound; two of them were wide roads, and the third was more narrow.  And Peredur enquired where the three roads went.  “One of them goes to my palace,” said the youth, “and one of two things I counsel thee to do, either to proceed to my palace, which is before thee, and where thou wilt find my wife, or else to remain here to see the hounds chasing the roused deer from the wood to the plain.  And thou shall see the best greyhounds thou didst ever behold, and the boldest in the chase, kill them by the water beside us; and when it is time to go to meat, my page will come with my horse to meet me, and thou shalt rest in my palace to-night.”  “Heaven reward thee; but I cannot tarry, for onward must I go.”  “The other road leads to the town, which is near here, and wherein food and liquor may be bought; and the road which is narrower than the others goes towards the cave of the Addanc.”  “With thy permission, young man, I will go that way.”

And Peredur went towards the cave.  And he took the stone in his left hand, and his lance in his right.  And as he went in, he perceived the Addanc, and he pierced him through with his lance, and cut off his head.  And as he came from the cave, behold the three companions were at the entrance; and they saluted Peredur, and told him that there was a prediction that he should slay that monster.  And Peredur gave the head to the young men, and they offered him in marriage whichever of the three sisters p. 88he might choose, and half their kingdom with her.  “I came not hither to woo,” said Peredur, “but if peradventure I took a wife, I should prefer your sister to all others.”  And Peredur rode forward, and he heard a noise behind him.  And he looked back, and saw a man upon a red horse, with red armour upon him; and the man rode up by his side, and saluted him, and wished him the favour of Heaven and of man.  And Peredur greeted the youth kindly.  “Lord, I come to make a request unto thee.”  “What wouldest thou?”  “That thou shouldest take me as thine attendant.”  “Who then should I take as my attendant, if I did so?”  “I will not conceal from thee what kindred I am of.  Etlym Gleddyv Coch am I called, an Earl from the East Country.”  “I marvel that thou shouldest offer to become attendant to a man whose possessions are no greater than thine own; for I have but an earldom like thyself.  But since thou desirest to be my attendant, I will take thee joyfully.”

And they went forward to the Court of the Countess, and all they of the Court were glad at their coming; and they were told it was not through disrespect they were placed below the household, but that such was the usage of the Court.  For, whoever should overthrow the three hundred men of her household, would sit next the Countess, and she would love him above all men.  And Peredur having overthrown the three hundred men of her household, sat down beside her, and the Countess said, “I thank Heaven that I have a youth so fair and so valiant as thou, since I have not obtained the man whom best I love.”  “Who is he whom best thou lovest?”  “By my faith, Etlym Gleddyv Coch is the man whom I love best, and I have never seen him.”  “Of a truth, Etlym is my p. 89companion; and behold here he is, and for his sake did I come to joust with thy household.  And he could have done so better than I, had it pleased him.  And I do give thee unto him.”  “Heaven reward thee, fair youth, and I will take the man whom I love above all others.”  And the Countess became Etlym’s bride from that moment.

And the next day Peredur set forth towards the Mound of Mourning.  “By thy hand, lord, but I will go with thee,” said Etlym.  Then they went forwards till they came in sight of the mound and the tents.  “Go unto yonder men,” said Peredur to Etlym, “and desire them to come and do me homage.”  So Etlym went unto them, and said unto them thus—“Come and do homage to my lord.”  “Who is thy lord?” said they.  “Peredur with the long lance is my lord,” said Etlym.  “Were it permitted to slay a messenger, thou shouldest not go back to thy lord alive, for making unto Kings, and Earls, and Barons, so arrogant a demand as to go and do him homage.”  Peredur desired him to go back to them, and to give them their choice, either to do him homage or to do battle with him.  And they chose rather to do battle.  And that day Peredur overthrew the owners of a hundred tents.  And the next day he overthrew the owners of a hundred more; and the third day the remaining hundred took counsel to do homage to Peredur.  And Peredur enquired of them, wherefore they were there.  And they told him they were guarding the serpent until he should die.  “For then should we fight for the stone among ourselves, and whoever should be conqueror among us would have the stone.”  “Await here,” said Peredur, “and I will go to encounter the serpent.”  “Not so, lord,” said they, “we will go altogether to encounter the serpent.”

p. 90“Verily,” said Peredur, “that will I not permit; for if the serpent be slain, I shall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you.”  Then he went to the place where the serpent was, and slew it, and came back to them, and said, “Reckon up what you have spent since you have been here, and I will repay you to the full.”  And he paid to each what he said was his claim.  And he required of them only that they should acknowledge themselves his vassals.  And he said to Etlym, “Go back unto her whom thou lovest best, and I will go forwards, and I will reward thee for having been my attendant.”  And he gave Etlym the stone.  “Heaven repay thee and prosper thee,” said Etlym.

And Peredur rode thence, and he came to the fairest valley he had ever seen, through which ran a river; and there he beheld many tents of various colours.  And he marvelled still more at the number of water-mills and of wind-mills that he saw.  And there rode up with him a tall auburn-haired man, in a workman’s garb, and Peredur enquired of him who he was.  “I am the chief miller,” said he, “of all the mills yonder.”  “Wilt thou give me lodging?” said Peredur.  “I will, gladly,” he answered.  And Peredur came to the miller’s house, and the miller had a fair and pleasant dwelling.  And Peredur asked money as a loan from the miller, that he might buy meat and liquor for himself, and for the household, and he promised that he would pay him again ere he went thence.  And he enquired of the miller, wherefore such a multitude were there assembled.  Said the miller to Peredur, “One thing is certain; either thou art a man from afar, or thou art beside thyself.  The Empress of Cristinobyl the Great is here; and she will have no one but the man who is most valiant; p. 91for riches does she not require.  And it was impossible to bring food for so many thousands as are here, therefore were all these mills constructed.”  And that night they took their rest.

And the next day Peredur arose, and he equipped himself and his horse for the tournament.  And among the other tents, he beheld one, which was the fairest he had ever seen.  And he saw a beauteous maiden leaning her head out of a window of the tent, and he had never seen a maiden more lovely than she.  And upon her was a garment of satin.  And he gazed fixedly on the maiden, and began to love her greatly.  And he remained there, gazing upon the maiden from morning until mid-day, and from mid-day until evening; and then the tournament was ended; and he went to his lodging, and drew off his armour.  Then he asked money of the miller as a loan, and the miller’s wife was wroth with Peredur; nevertheless, the miller lent him the money.  And the next day he did in like manner as he had done the day before.  And at night he came to his lodging, and took money as a loan from the miller.  And the third day, as he was in the same place, gazing upon the maiden, he felt a hard blow between the neck and the shoulder, from the edge of an axe.  And when he looked behind him, he saw that it was the miller; and the miller said to him, “Do one of two things: either turn thy head from hence, or go to the tournament.”  And Peredur smiled on the miller, and went to the tournament; and all that encountered him that day, he overthrew.  And as many as he vanquished, he sent as a gift to the Empress, and their horses and arms he sent as a gift to the wife of the miller, in payment of the borrowed money.  Peredur attended the tournament until all were overthrown, p. 92and he sent all the men to the prison of the Empress, and the horses and arms to the wife of the miller, in payment of the borrowed money.  And the Empress sent to the Knight of the Mill, to ask him to come and visit her.  And Peredur went not for the first nor for the second message.  And the third time she sent an hundred knights to bring him against his will, and they went to him, and told him their mission from the Empress.  And Peredur fought well with them, and caused them to be bound like stags, and thrown into the mill dyke.  And the Empress sought advice of a wise man, who was in her counsel; and he said to her, “With thy permission, I will go to him myself.”  So he came to Peredur, and saluted him, and besought him, for the sake of the lady of his love, to come and visit the Empress.  And they went, together with the miller.  And Peredur went and sat down in the outer chamber of the tent, and she came and placed herself by his side.  And there was but little discourse between them.  And Peredur took his leave, and went to his lodging.  And the next day he came to visit her, and when he came into the tent, there was no one chamber less decorated than the others.  And they knew not where he would sit.  And Peredur went and sat beside the Empress, and discoursed with her courteously.  And while they were thus, they beheld a black man enter with a goblet full of wine in his hand.  And he dropped upon his knee before the Empress, and besought her to give it to no one who